Celebrities who refused or returned honours from the Royal Family

Legendary Beatles frontman John Lennon famously returned his MBE in 1969 in protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigerian Civil War, and for the country’s support of the United States in Vietnam. A staunch anti-war supporter, known for his famous “bed-ins” in protest of the Vietnam War, the Imagine singer penned a letter to Queen Elizabeth II with his reasoning for returning the honour

"I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts,” he wrote. The track, released by the Plastic Ono Band the same year, was the first track the former Beatles star wrote on his own. 

TV chef extraordinaire Nigella Lawson turned down an OBE in 2001, as she didn’t feel the work that she was doing with her cooking show and recipe books warranted such an honour.

“I’m not saving lives and I’m not doing anything other than something I absolutely love,” she reportedly said, citing her cooking career as a “passion” rather than an act of public service.

After receiving a CBE in 1982 and a Companion of Honour (CH) in 1989, scientist Stephen Hawking chose not to accept knighthood from the Queen in the late '90s. He was reportedly dissatisfied with the British government’s lack of scientific funding, and cited cuts to the sector as his reason for not accepting the honour.

A spokesperson for the scientist later told The Times, "Professor Hawking does not like titles”.

Welsh actor Michael Sheen returned his OBE in 2017. A staunch supporter of Welsh arts, who is personally funding the initial phase of the Welsh National Theatre, the Good Omens star felt it was contradictory to keep the honour while being outspoken about his views.

Michael told journalist Owen Jones he’d researched Welsh history extensively for a lecture he gave in 2017, and said, “I remember sitting there going, 'well I have a choice – I either don't give this lecture and hold on to my OBE or I give this lecture and I have to give my OBE back'”.

Children’s author Roald Dahl declined to accept an OBE during the Queen's New Year's honours of 1986. The Matilda author reportedly wished to receive a knighthood so his wife, Felicity d'Abreu Crosland, would be made a Dame, but this claim was never confirmed by the author himself.

Comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders were both offered an OBE in 2001, but decided it wasn’t fair to accept the honour as they didn’t feel deserving.

Jennifer later told Source magazine: “At the time, we felt that we were being paid very well to have a lot of fun. It didn’t seem right somehow. We didn’t deserve a pat on the back. It felt a bit fake to stand alongside people who devoted their lives to truly worthy causes.”

'70s rockstar David Bowie turned down not one, but two royal honours. He first refused an OBE in 2000, and later an offer of knighthood in 2003, because he didn’t feel aligned with the honours system and didn’t think it was a relevant accolade.

The Ziggy Stardust legend later told The Sun that he “never had any intention of accepting anything like that”, adding, “It’s not what I spent my life working for…it’s just not for me”.

Fawlty Towers funnyman John Cleese turned down a CBE in 1996, reportedly calling the honour 'silly'. He went on to be offered a peerage by Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown in 1999, but as the commitment would require staying in England during winter, the Monty Python star told tourgoers in 2012 he felt it was “too much of a price to pay”.

Actor and presenter Alan Cumming received his OBE in 2009 for his dedication to LGBTQ+ rights in the US, but later returned the honour shortly after Queen Elizabeth’s death, sharing that it made him question the role of the monarchy.

He announced his decision via Instagram in 2023, sharing, “I returned my award, explained my reasons and reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place. I’m now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again”.

Narnia author C.S. Lewis turned down a CBE in 1952 as he didn’t want his Christian writings to be construed as in favour of a particular political leaning. To avoid any association with politics, the author felt it best to turn down the honour, but was reportedly pleased to have been offered it.

Filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock may have accepted a knighthood from the Queen, a few months before his death in 1980, but he first refused the offer of a CBE. The Rear Window director reportedly did not think the accolade gave justice to his contribution to British culture, and was holding out for a higher honour – which he later received.

After receiving a CBE in 1967, actress Vanessa Redgrave went on to decline Damehood in 1999 due to her opposition to the Iraq War. The Camelot star later accepted her second DBE offer in 2022, telling the BBC she was "surprised and grateful to join this wondrous group of British artists, whose work has inspired me and audiences the world over".

Although the former Beatles guitarist never confirmed it, it’s widely thought that George Harrison turned down his offer of an OBE in 2000 because he felt insulted that bandmate Paul McCartney received a knighthood in 1997. The Hey Jude hitmaker didn’t publicly announce his decision, but sources close to him reported that he felt it was a “lesser” honour than what Paul and the late John Lennon had received.